If the initial setup is intriguing enough, doing the best at the end might work. But it's not a fair deal if you're expecting viewers to wait patiently all the way, just to watch the final act. It's a thriller that tries hard. But minimal conflict and superficial moments make for a predictable ride with nothing to take away.
In the first scene, we meet Jamuna (Aishwarya Rajesh), a passionate taxi driver, and his paraplegic mother. They have pasts and everything is kept secret. So far we only know that Jamuna's deceased father was also a taxi driver and his brother is now working as a software developer in Bangalore.
What looks like a normal workday quickly turns into a nightmare for Jamuna. She gets on a vehicle that throws her own life into trouble. Her three, including a drug addict, book a taxi from Chengalpattu to East Her Coast Her Road. Abhishek, an aspiring musician, also rides with them. Things take a turn when Jamuna receives a call from the local police saying that her three men traveling with are the beaten man and most wanted.
At the same time, we also get to know the real targets of these ruthless killers: former MLA Maragadhavel (Aadukalam Narein) and his son Manikam (Manikandan).
Jamuna becomes embroiled in this conflict and the journey becomes difficult. Will she be able to get home safely, or will she have personal motivations to continue her journey? Kinslin takes time to define characters and their motivations. But when the protagonist gets involved in conflict, the story becomes tighter and more interesting. That's why the scene where the assassin gets into Jamuna's taxi makes me nervous. But the biggest disappointment is that the thrill doesn't last more than his 30 minutes.
Just when you expect something big to happen, the story tapers off and the characters start acting ridiculous. For example, one of the assassins who could easily decapitate Jamuna let her go for ridiculous reasons. Such attempts only seem like the author desperately wanted the main character to survive all along, but seem to suffer from a lack of innovative ideas on how to ensure this.
The climax twist is great. Jamuna's backstory and why she took this ride is very compelling. However, the event isn't strong enough to stand in the hero's shoes. Also, we clearly don't understand what the cops are trying to do here. Like the 80's movies, you catch criminals only after the main character defeats them.
The savior of this film is Aishwarya Rajesh and her strong performance. Other characters don't have as much room for acting prowess on screen. Music director Gibran and cinematographer Gokur Benoy aptly contribute to the thriller's mood. Jamuna, the driver, has some poignant moments, but it's definitely not a spontaneous road movie.
